Redemption
by Cr8tivity
Summary: Avengers: Infinity Wars One-shot. Based of the first ten minutes, but this time Loki doesn't die. :)


**I know that I've sort of abandoned my other fics, but I'm working on it! I saw Infinity War a few days ago, and haven't stopped thinking about new fic ideas.**

 **THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING—IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR YET, THEN DO NOT READ THIS FIC. THERE AREN'T A TON OF SPOILERS, BUT I DON'T NEED PEOPLE GETTING MAD AT ME. SO JUST GO WATCH THE MOVIE, AND THEN COME READ THIS, AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, BECAUSE THAT MAKES ME HAPPY. *takes a deep breath in* THANK YOU.**

 **Basically, just to review the summary of this fic: It takes place at the beginning of the movie, with Thor, Banner, Valkyrie, and my favorite: Loki. Obviously Thanos will be here too. Sadly I have to include him in this, or they'd be talking to nothing. Continuing on… In this story I write an alternate ending to my favorite character, to which he doesn't die. Also Valkyrie's there. So yeah. There are also a few memories, if you're even reading this.**

 **One last comment – this is a one-shot, unless all you readers like it so much, that you want me to make a part two.**

 **Okay, okay. I'll shut up now. I hope you enjoy it!**

 ***.*.*.*.***

The memory played back in their heads…

" _So, last time I saw you, you were trying to kill everybody. Where are you these days?" Bruce Banner held his hands together. Folding them nervously as he tried to spark a conversation with the God of Mischief himself._

 _The last time they'd seen each other they had not started off on good terms. Since, at the moment, they were stuck on this planet; he'd might as well get to know him somewhat better._

 _Loki stared at Banner. Unblinking as his arms were chained behind him. "It varies from moment to moment." He replies in all seriousness._

 _Bruce's expression changes to one of complete horror. What the crap did he mean by that?_

…

Their ship was stopped. Frantically people ran from one side to another, dragging their loved ones behind them.

"Everyone!" Thor calls out. "Get to the other ship!" Quieter, he turns to Korg and Heimdall. "I want you two to leave on that ship. Guide the people, lead them away from Thanos." Thor pauses momentarily to look at his brother.

Loki stands stoic; watching the events outside the ship. Thanos' ship is close; it won't be long before they were face to face with him.

"He will kill you," Heimdall says blankly.

"Not if we kill him first." The King replies, focused on his foolish mindset.

"I don't think two gods, and a Valkyrie will defeat a titan."

Thor shrugs. "You're right, but we have a hulk."

The ship lurches forward, then back. The two soon to be leaders take it as their cue to leave.

"For Asgard," Heimdall chants, turning around and running towards his people.

Korg hesitates. "For rebellion," he shrugs, following the Asgardian.

Thor walks towards Loki, passing Valkyrie and Banner on the way. Mindlessly listening in on their conversation.

"It's like he doesn't want to come out," Bruce mumbles, hitting his head with his fists.

The god of thunder places his arm on his brother's shoulder. Before he says anything, Loki beats him to the punch.

"I'm sorry."

Thor narrows his eyes. "What have you done?"

"Nothing… yet."

"Yet?"

Loki nods, his arms slightly shaking. "I'm sorry for anything that happens while Thanos is here."

"Brother, none of this will be your fault. You have no relations with Thanos."

"Actually, I do."

Thor pushes against Loki's shoulder so they're facing each other.

"When?"

"The attack on New York." The voice that answers is not Loki's.

All eyes turn to see Thanos walking towards him. Three others follow closely behind.

"You did a decent job, though you did lose me two infinity stones."

Loki crosses his arms, trying to tune him out.

Thanos chuckles at his stubbornness. "I thought you learned your lesson," he snaps his fingers and points at the god.

One of his followers walks towards Loki. Once reaching him, he grabs him by the arm, pulling him towards the purple giant. To Thor's surprise, Loki doesn't react. He only allows himself to be pulled away.

Confused as well, Banner and Valkyrie walk towards their friend. Standing close and tall, trying to intimidate the fearless squad of villains.

Following his commands, Ebony Maw pushes Loki to his knees. Forcing him to bow to the leader he once said he'd die for.

"You can never ignore me," Thanos taunts. Changing moods, he laughs. "What happened to your undying loyalty you once promised me?"

When Loki doesn't respond, Thanos grabs his head, and tilts it upward so the two are staring at each other.

"Well?"

Loki processes the words he'll speak next very carefully. "It varies from moment to moment."

Thanos grunts. "I thought I taught you better," he returns his arm to his side. "Depending on your actions today, I may spare your life."

As Thanos moves passed one of his many prodigies, he lifts himself of the floor. Brushing the dirt of his pants.

"You have something I want, your majesty," the use of the title was not used for recognition or respect. Thanos only says it to mock him.

"Yeah?" Valkyrie answers instead of Thor. "What might that be?"

"The Tesseract," Loki mutters, recalling the time he last had it…

 _He was given direct orders from his brother. This was his chance to make it all up to him. To prove there was good still left in him._

 _All he had to do was release Surtur, and he and Hela would have a hay day fighting each other for the rest of eternity. Maybe after a few thousand years they'd come to an agreement. After all, you can't rule Asgard if there's no Asgard left._

 _Straight down the hallway, Loki told himself. It was that simple._

 _With the horned helmet now in his arms he begins to run in a new direction, until blue light radiates onto his face. Despite his mind screaming at him to not to, he stopped. Memories flooding into his mind._

" _Bring me the Tesseract." Thanos' voice echoed in his ears. "Under any circumstance."_

 _This was the perfect chance to redeem himself. To clear his plate of all failure with the most dangerous person in the Galaxy. To relieve his conscience of the fear of the day when Thanos would return to power, and blame him for failing a simple mission all those years ago._

 _But Thor…_

 _If anything his brother would help him escape the terrible fate headed his way._

 _He'd betrayed his brother so many times… But he never wanted Thor dead. No matter how many times he thought and said it._

 _Wait- he's the God of Mischief, and might as well the God of multitasking. If he was quick he can get away with both._

 _Acting swiftly, Loki grabs the Tesseract of its podium. Holding it high above his head until it disappears._

 _Before it's too late, he continues to run. Acting as if he never saw the cube…_

"Quite right," Thanos' eyes narrow. "Where is it?

Valkyrie scrunches her face, "The what?"

"The Tesseract," Banner too recalls memories from when Loki invaded Earth. "A powerful blue-glowing-cube thing."

"It's on Asgard, destroyed in all the chaos." Thor answers.

"Fool," Thanos shakes his head. "You can't destroy an infinity stone."

"Well we don't have it," Thor matches Thanos' attitude: Annoyed.

A thought enters the titans mind. He turns to Loki once more. "Is that the truth?"

Loki says nothing; instead he tries to hide his nervousness.

Patience disappearing, Thor's head now rests between the fingers of a large purple hand.

Valkyrie immediately responds, wielding her blade, and charging at the villain. However, Ebony Maw is a step ahead of her. Using his abilities, he flings her across the room. Not wanting the same pain, Bruce throws his hands up, stepping away from the two.

Seconds after the short burst of chaos, Thanos tightens his grip. The screams of Thor are excruciating to the ears of Loki, yet he does nothing.

Frustrated more, Thanos stops. "Will you only watch? Or will you hand over the Tesseract and spare your brother from this pain?"

"He doesn't have it," Thor gasps, earning him a forceful punch on the top of his head. Strong enough to be extremely painful, but not too strong to knock him out.

"Your lies will cost you your life, Odinson." He turns his head back towards Loki, demanding an answer.

"Didn't you teach me to not care for others besides myself?" He replies with a question of his own.

"I taught you to obey me!"

"I'd rather see my brother suffer."

The purple man smiles. It was always fun to torture people. Even more fun when the people you've tortured start to think the way you do.

Willing to comply, Thanos stoops over, gripping Thor's neck, and lifts his body into the air. Crushing it with his metal gauntlet.

Thor's legs thrash around, and his hands claw at the metallic fingers. He tries to wedge his own between the golden ones so he has some sort of room for oxygen to flow through his airway. If he's lucky enough, maybe he could pry them off completely.

Meanwhile, Valkyrie tries to break free of Ebony's psychic hold on her, and Bruce is hiding in a corner from the other followers. Trying to convince his alter-ego to come out.

"Come on!" He whispers, "If we don't help, everyone's gonna die!"

Thanos' smile widens by the second as his victims face turns darker than his own.

At first, Loki too wore a smile. But the more he watches the more a voice told him to hand over the stone.

Thor's eyes dart around. Looking for anything or anyone that could help him. Moments pass, and the two brothers lock eyes.

"Stop!" Loki shouts, unable to watch his brother suffer anymore.

Hesitantly, Thanos stops. "Is this weakness? I thought that died a long time ago."

"As did I." Loki raises his hand. Holding it flat above his head. Magically, the cube appears on the surface of his palm.

Like a servant, presenting something to his king, Loki voluntarily kneels before the power thirsty ruler. Hastily, Thanos grabs the power source for himself. Holding it in his hand, he begins to crush it. Breaking the glass layer surrounding the actual stone.

As he opens his hand, glass chunks fall to the floor. Amongst the destruction lays a small blue gem. Thanos grabs it. Holding it between his index finger and thumb; admiring it momentarily before letting the gauntlet suck it into its rightful place.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Thor lifts himself higher off the ground where he had been dropped. "No, you made that a lot more complicated that it needed to be."

Before anyone else could react, Loki shot his brother a glare; warning him to shut his mouth before he made the situation worse.

Thanos ignores the side glances everyone was giving each other. He has what he came for, and was quite satisfied with how he'd got it. But, he still has several more he needs to retrieve, and it wouldn't take long for other heroes of this galaxy to come and try to stop him.

Testing the space gems power, he turns around, aiming his glove towards a spaceship window. Like firing a gun, his arm jolts backwards, then back to its resting position. The end result is magnificent.

Rotating quietly is a blue oval. Cloudy looking on the outside, starry on the inside.

Without instruction two of the three prodigies step through the portal.

Thanos too begins to step forward, before realizing Loki isn't following behind him.

"You'd rather stay here?" He chuckles.

Loki shrugs. "You no longer have use for me."

He shakes his head. "We could always use your tricks. You are competition to Earth's heroes. You could become one of my biggest attributes."

"Are you not afraid of me failing you again?"

"I could kill you now, and call it equal."

"No," Loki says a little too quickly.

The corners of Thanos mouth turn upward. "Then are you coming?"

"Loki, no!" Thor calls out, still struggling to lift himself up.

"Quiet," the brother hisses. "You'll understand everything in time."

With that final statement, the final three exit through the portal to cause destruction elsewhere.

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 **Well, there you have it.** **I hope you liked it! If you did, please please please leave a review, or Favorite.**

 **Depending on your responses, I might make a part two. *shrugs*. I don't know, it all depends…**


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